12 Handyman Tips to Keep Your Home in Good Condition While on Vacation

Vacation is supposed to be an opportunity for relaxation and rejuvenation. If you come home to a trainwreck, though, all that help goes out the window. Plenty of issues can arise at home while you’re away, so how do you keep them at bay?

We’re happy to report that there are plenty of ways to keep your home damage-free. Use these pro handyman tips to keep your house in great condition while you’re on vacation.

Handyman Tips for Protecting Your Home While You’re Away

The key to keeping your home in tip-top shape is preparation. These tips can help.

Take Steps to Prevent Water Damage

We won’t sugarcoat it: water damage is one of the worst things that can happen to a home. The longer it takes you to clean up the water, the worse the damage will be. If it takes days or weeks for you to dry the water in your house because you’re out of town, it’s a recipe for disaster.

Takes steps ahead of time to prevent water damage. That includes possible water leakage from inside as well as outside the home, so read more here.

Make Sure All Doors and Windows Are Sealed

Of course, you’re not planning to drive off to the airport with your front door open. If any of your windows or doors aren’t sealed well, though, rainwater and other weather hazards can leak in.

Unlocked windows and doors also give burglars an easy way in. Right before you leave, do a whole house check.

Ask for a Hold on Your Mail and Newspaper

One of the key ways burglars spot an empty house is by watching mail and newspapers accumulate outside. It’s a sure sign that the house is vacant.

The good news is that it’s easy and free to put a hold on your mail delivery online. Most newspapers have an easy way to do this as well, though you’ll need to contact the newspaper’s office to find out how.

Prepare Ahead for Any Expected Weather

Picture this: you go on a winter vacation to a tropical locale to get away from the cold. While you’re gone, extreme cold sets in and your pipes freeze. They burst, causing extensive water damage throughout your home. By the time you get home a week later, your walls are growing mold and all your possessions are damaged.

To avoid situations like this, take a close look at the weather before your trip. Find ways to prepare your home before you leave. That might mean letting some faucets drip or adding a seal to a leaky window.

Hire a Pet Sitter or Someone to Check In

Some of the worst culprits of home damage during vacations are pets. Some pets do fine at home with enough food, water, and bathroom facilities. However, you never know when something will happen.

It’s best to hire a house sitter and pet sitter to stay at your house while you’re away. This gives you great peace of mind because if someone goes wrong, you’ll know right away. If this isn’t practical, though, ask a friend to stop in once every day to make sure everything is fine.

Ask a Neighbor for Help

Even if you don’t have pets, it’s a good idea to have a neighbor or friend pop in every once in a while. Ask them to check your exterior for signs of vacancy that burglars could spot, like sales flyers someone left on your door.

If you’re vacationing during the winter, snow without footprints is another sign of a vacant home. Your neighbor’s simple act of putting footsteps on your sidewalk will help to protect your house.

Along the same lines, your local neighborhood watch may be able to help. If you have one, ask them to keep a closer eye on your house while you’re away.

Unplug All Your Electronics

If your home is struck by lightning, it could cause some electronics to start a fire if they’re plugged in. Even if a fire doesn’t start, the lightning can fry the electronics so you come home to a dead TV. To prevent this problem, unplug your electronics before you leave.

As an added bonus, you’ll save on your electric bills. Any device that’s plugged into your outlet is drawing power whether you’re using it or not.

Leave a Light On

A house that’s in the dark every night for a week might as well be a beacon for burglars. Leaving on a single hall light can help as long as it’s visible from the front of your house.

Clean the House Before You Leave

It might not be damage per se, but the dust and dirt that accumulates during your vacation can take some serious elbow grease to remove. To make sure dirt doesn’t stick around during your whole trip, schedule some cleaning time before you leave.

Get a Check Up on Your Major Appliances

Imagine what were to happen if a major appliance broke down while you were away. Food in your refrigerator would spoil and make a smelly mess. Your furnace could start a fire and cause serious problems. Your air conditioner could leak water and create extensive damage.

Hire an electrician, a plumber, or a handyman to take a look at the systems they specialize in. It’s smart to do this every year or so anyway, but it’s most important before a trip.

Open Interior Doors

When you come home from a long day of traveling, you don’t want to spend your first night at home in a musty bedroom. If you keep interior doors open during your trip, it helps with air circulation for a more fresh house when you return.

Along these same lines, it’s also a good idea to open the door or curtain to your shower. If you don’t, it may not dry well and it could cause mildew to grow.

Clean Out Your Refrigerator

Just like checking your refrigerator for needed repairs, you should clean out any old food in it before you leave as well. If your power goes out, any food in the fridge will rot and you’ll come home to a nasty stench.

Preparing Your Home for Vacation

When you come home from vacation, the last thing you want to do is deal with damage or dirt in your house. These handyman tips from the pros can help you come home to a clean, fresh, comfortable house.